Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday to accompany Ronen Engel z”l, who was kidnapped and murdered on October 7, on his final journey before being laid to rest.
A convoy of dozens of motorcyclists led the funeral procession, honoring Ronen’s life, courage, and spirit as family, friends, and supporters came together to pay their final respects.
Ronen, a devoted husband, father, and beloved member of his community, was among those abducted by Hamas on October 7. After two long years, he was finally returned home.
Ronen's daughter, Mika Engel, lamented: “Abush, my dad. I don’t want to accept or understand that you’ll never be with me again. That I’ll never get to hug you, be with you, or call you ‘Dad’ again. It was you and me against the world, and now it’s just me against the world. A world that tore me into a million pieces and is swallowing me whole. How will I manage without you? Abush, I love you so much. I wish there were a way to explain how deeply I love you. I love you with every fiber of my body, every breath I take, and with every exhale, I remember the moment they told us you were gone. That same feeling of having no air, no oxygen, that’s how I feel every day, all day. You were my air, my oxygen."
"I loved you endlessly, and I pray that one day my children will have a father like you. I wanted you to stay with me for life. Eighteen years isn’t enough, it’s nothing. I didn’t get the chance to experience enough with you. I refuse to accept that you won’t be here to hold my hand, to hug me when I need you, and God knows how much I need you. I refuse to accept that I’ll never feel your bear hug again or see your smile. The emptiness without you breaks me, it really breaks me. It’s crushing, unbearable, truly unbearable. Everything is so empty without you. My life feels empty. My soul feels empty. The longing is so deep, so strong, it hurts to breathe. Such pain without you. A huge part of my heart is gone."
She added, "But Abush, I’ve decided that I’m going to live for you. I’ll do everything for you. I’ll see all the places you didn’t get to see, through me, you’ll live and witness it all. A part of me died on October 7, too, but only you stopped breathing. With God’s help, we’ll meet again in the next life. Please save me a place next to you. Wait for me, Abush. You didn’t deserve this end. I love you forever.”
Ronen's wife, captivity survivor Karina Bart-Engel, eulogized him: “My Ronen. How can anyone sum you up in words? How do you say goodbye to the one who always said, ‘It will be okay.’ You were the heart of our home, the one who could make us laugh even on the hardest days, with your endless humor and unstoppable optimism. You were always smiling, always with a sharp, witty line that made everyone turn their heads and ask, ‘Is he for real?’ And then came your answer: ‘I’m crazy, but optimistic.’"
"Life with you was an adventure, pushing limits, taking us to the edge, because that’s who you were: full of love, laughter, frustration, chaos, friends, music, travels, and a huge soul. You were my partner in everything, in our arguments and in our laughter. Now the house is a little too quiet, so we try to be a little more like you. Every smile from Tom, Mika, and Yuval is also a bit of your smile. I see you in their eyes and imagine you with us in every moment. You may not be here, but you’re with us every second. So we’re not really saying goodbye, we’ll just meet again on the other side.”